Individual drink refrigerator



March 28, 1950 w. LEATHERS INDIVIDUAL DRINK REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 13, 1947 r Q 4 I Patented Mar. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

My invention pertains to a nicer way of serving social drinks, particularly beverages iced cold but served without ice such as cocktails or champagne.

This invention comprises a refrigerating device for use atop the glass containing the drink and set thereon at the time of serving. It functions only with solidified CO2, commonly known as Dry Ice which, as it evaporates, leaves no residue except CO2 gas which is permitted in this invention to escape in a novel manner and to serve desirable functions while so doing.

The object of my invention is to keep an iced drink, whether normally served with ice as a highball, or without ice as a cocktail, colder longer after serving. Millions of persons at the cafe cocktail hour, or in after-dinner groups, or at night clubs, are obliged to consume cocktails promptly or they lose their frigid zest, or

in the case of the scotch and soda lest it be drowned. This individual drink refrigerator, supplied with an ounce or two of Dry Ice, will keep such drinks in pristine condition for an hour or more, i. e. longer than necessary for it to serve its useful and highly desirable purpose. It does more than that, due to the extremely low temperature of Dry Ice the drink becomes colder and colder, the glass almost freezes the lips and an inviting rim of hear-frost surrounds the rim of the glass and the metal rim of the cooler.

In the case of highballs, the ice does not melt during the operational time of the refrigerator.

In order to make my invention clearly understandable to all, I have prepared the following specification and appended drawings, of which Fig. 1 shows in elevation a cocktail glass surmounted by a drink refrigerator.

Fig. 2 is an ornamental cap for the drink refrigerator.

Fig. 3 is a partial cross-section of the refrigerator showing one method of construction, namely, bayonet junction.

Fig. 4 is a detail of same.

Fig. 5 is a C02 gas flow diagram.

Fig. 6 is a partial cross-section of a highball glass surmounted by a drink refrigerator and using a friction junction.

Fig. 7 is a partial cross-section of a refrigerator illustrating a modified construction.

Fig. 8 shows in elevation a tall drink with a refrigerator.

Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 are shown substantially actual size on the standard patent sheet. Figs. 4 and 5 are twice size.

A three-ounce cocktail glass I, Fig. 1, supports an individual drink refrigerator 2. The refrigrator has a dome 3 moulded of, transparent plastic material, such as methyl methacrylate, topped by an ornamental finial 4 also plastic-moulded but preferably simulating amethyst, pink coral or jade, and welded to the dome. Between the dome and the glass there is a metal rim 5.

Other ornamental tops may be used as desired. By way of illustration, Fig. 2 shows the form of a polar bear, standing on a hemisphere 8, both moulded of white, opaque plastic and welded onto or into a ring 9 of the clear plastic.

The rim 5, Fig. 3, is made of stamped and plated non-ferrous metal and provided with three or more rivet-pins 13 which are the male portions of the bayonet latches which hold this rim to the dome 3. The bayonet slots l 5 are moulded, indented, into the sides of the dome 3, Fig. 4. An inner sheet-metal member l2, joined to the rim 5 as by crimping, at [8, is formed to hold the Dry Ice as in a shallow dish. It also provides a seat for the soft rubber gasket 20. Small protuberances 2i at intervals along the periphery of the member l2 separate it from the glass I containing the drink. Through this space the CO2 gas escapes as will be seen.

Fig. 5 is a flow diagram. A block of Dry Ice 25 continuously evaporating turns to very cold CO2 gas. The gas follows the course indicated by the arrows to a small opening 0 at the center of the member l2. Here the gas exhausts in a strong stream downward impinging on the liquid drink. The gas then flows to the rim of the glass l and escapes between the depressibns 2!. Since the gas has a very low temperature, the rim 5 collects a heavy coat of boar-frost, and the glass does the same as the cold gas travels downward along its sides. The rim 5 is designed to deflect the gas downward but it overlaps the glass only very slightly for it would be highly undesirable to make the drink, especially a cocktail, look smaller than it really is.

Another structure, for serving similar purposes, is shown in Fig. 6 where the refrigerator rests atop and in operable'relationship to a highball glass containing the usual highball. Liquor, when used with soda, water, ginger ale, or coke, is chilled by pouring it over ice cubes in the service glass. Later, as. the cubes melt the drink becomes watery and tasteless. It must, therefore, be consumed promptly or thrown away. My refrigerator, as shown in Fig. 6, keeps this drink so cold that the ice cannot melt, hence a further object of my invention is to conserve liquor, and legal liquor is expensive. The slightly modified structure is composed of a moulded dome 30, a moulded supporting member 3|, a moulded finial 33, and a white rubber gasket 35. The dome is preferably of transparent plastic, as is the finial 8 of Fig. 2. The finial 33 is preferably of colored plastic as is the finial 4 of Fig. 1. The memher 3! may be a plated die-casting, and/or the dome may be made of glass, if desired.

A modified construction, Fig. 7, is characterized by the use of a friction junction as in Fig. 6, but using stamped sheet metal parts instead of moulding or die-casting. But particularly the difference lies in the gas flow. There are connoisseurs who may claim that the mere passage of extremely cold CO2 gas over the surface of the liquid may change the taste in some slight degree. This does not apply, of course, to drinkswhere any of the ingredients are already charged with CO2 gas. In this modified construction, two stamped sheets are used. An upper sheet 34 forms the rim, the dome holder and the dish-like support for the Dry Ice. A lower sheet 35 forms the support for the refrigerator on the rim of the glass I. The sheets are crimped together at 37. Small perforations P in the upper sheet permit the CO2 gas to escape to a chamber between the sheets as shown by the arrows. Escape orifices E are provided in the lower sheet outside the rim of the cocktail glass. Thus the glass contacts the lower plate at its entire periphery, incidentally avoiding spilling when serving, and the cold CO2 gas is permitted to flow downward around the outside of the glass. In this case the rim of the upper sheet 34 and the rim of the glass l shortly become heavily encrusted with hoar-frost. An ornamentally milled surface 39 on the dome 4G aids in opening the refrigerator for refilling with Dry Ice.

It should be pointed out that the refrigerating effects of the gas-flow system of Fig. 5, and that i of Fig. 7, are about equal. In the case of Fig. 5, the cold gas passes in contact with the liquid and thereby constantly maintains an extremely cold atmosphere above the warmest. part of the liquid. Thus the temperature differential is high, the cold gas is in constant motion and the efiiciency is good. However, the contact, for heat transfer by conduction, between theglass and themetal is only partial (see Fig. 3). Here there is a loss in heat transfer eificiency not present in the method of Fig. 7. In this latter system the cold moving gas nevercomes in contact with the liquid,.although the space between the liquid and the refrigerator is maintained at a fairly low temperature by the verycold sheets 34-36. Heat can reach the liquid only through the glass; the glass rim is in continuous contact with the sheet 32. Heat readily transfers because of the extreme temperature differential. This heat is metallically conducted to the Dr Ice which absorbs it readily. Thus the heat is drawn from the liquid. This method is especiallyrecommended in'the case of champagne where an unusually heavy glass stem is. used.

Fig. 8 shows my individual drinkirefrigerator used for maintaining a non-melting condition in a tall iced drink such as :punch, "julep or lemonade.

Many other forms and constructions are obviously possible without departing. from the'spirit of my invention.

What is claimed is:

'1. An individual drink refrigerator-comprising a two-part separable container affording when "assembled a chamber adapted to receive therein a solid refrigerant capable of sublimation, said container having a bottom wall adapted to rest upon the rim of a glass drink-containing receptacle to effectively close the opening thereof, there being an opening of relatively small size formed in said bottom wall centrally thereof to permit egress of the gaseous refrigerant from said chamber into the interior of the receptacle whereby it will impinge in the form of a small stream upon the surface of liquid contained in the receptacle and flow outwardly by expansion across the surface of the liquid immediately above the same, there being a series of spaced protuberances formed on said bottom wall adjacent the periphery thereof adapted to rest upon said rim of the receptacle thereby forming between the bottom and rim a series of narrow openings to permit egress of the gaseous refrigerant from said receptacle to the atmosphere.

2. An individual drink refrigerator comprising a two-part separable container affording when assembled a chamber adapted to receive therein a solidrefrigerant capable ofsublimation, said container having a bottom wall adapted to rest upon the rim of a drink-receiving container to effectively close the opening thereof, there being an opening in the bottom wall to permit egress of the gaseous refrigerant from said chamber into the interior of the receptacle, there being a series of spaced protuberances formed on said bottom wall adjacent the periphery thereof adapted to rest upon said rim of the receptacle thereby forming between the bottom and rim a series of narrow openings to permit egress of the gaseous refrigerantfrom said receptacle to the atmosphere.

3. An individual drink refrigerator comprising a two-part separable container affording when assembled a chamber adapted to receive therein a solid refrigerant capable of sublimation, said container having a bottom wall adapted to rest upon the rim of a drink-receiving receptacle to effectively close the opening thereof, there being an opening in the bottom wall to permit egress of the gaseous refrigerant from said chamber into the interior of the receptacle, a series ofspaced protuberances formed on said bottom wall adja cent the periphery thereof adapted to rest upon said rim of the receptacle thereby forming between the bottom and rim a series of narrow openings to permit egress of thegaseous refrigerant from said receptacle to the atmosphere, and means on said container for guiding the gaseous refrigerant issuing from said narrow openings downwardly along the outside of the receptacle wall.

4. An individual drink refrigerator comprising a two-part separable container afford ng when assembled a chamber adapted to receive therein a solid refrigerant capable of sublimation, said container having a bottom wall adapted to rest upon the rim of a drink-receiving.receptacle to efiectively close the opening thereof, there being an opening in the bottom Wall to permit egress of the gaseous refrigerant from said chamber into thexinterior of the receptacle, a series of spaced protuberances formed on said bottom wall adjacent the periphery thereof adapted to rest upon saidrim of thereceptacle thereby forming between the bottom and rim a series of narrow openings to permit egress of the gaseous refrigerant from saidreceptacle to the atmosphere, and a circular flange formed on one of the container parts adapted .to overlap therim of the receptacle, theinternal diameter of said flange being slightly in excess of the external diameter of the rim of the receptacle to which the refrigerator is applied whereby gaseous refrigerant issuing from said narrow openings will be conducted downwardly along the outside of the receptacle to effectively chill the same.

5. An individual drink refrigerator comprising a domed-shaped upper shell having a peripheral lower edge and a removable bottom closure therefor, said shell and closure forming, when assembled up each other, an interior hollow chamber adapted to contain a solid refrigerant capable of sublimation, the said bottom closure having an open channel adjacent its periphery and in which channel the lower edge of the upper shell is removably seated, a gasket in said channel to effect a sealing between the lower edge of the upper shell and the bottom closure, said closure bein adapted to be supported upon the rim of a drink-containing receptacle to cool the drink in the container, and the overall dianfeter of said closure being slightly in excess of the diameter of the rim of the receptacle.

6. An individual drink refrigerator comprising a domed-shaped non-metallic upper shell having a peripheral lower edge and a removable metallic bottom closure therefor, said shell and closure forming, when assembled upon each other, an interior hollow chamber adapted to contain a solid refrigerant capable of sublimation, the said bottom closure having an open channel adjacent its periphery and in which channel the lower edge of the upper shell is removably seated, a gasket in said channel to effect a sealing between the lower edge of the upper shell and the bottom closure, said closure being adapted to ,be supported upon the rim of a drink-containing receptacle to cool the drink in the container, and the overall diameter of said closure bein slightly in excess of the diameter of the rim of the receptacle.

WARD LEATHERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 347,049 Kavanagh Aug. 10, 1886 1,706,436 Bright Mar. 26, 1929 1,720,935 Tressel July 16, 1929 1,731,539 Pearson Oct. 15, 1929 1,832,473 Payson et al Nov. 17, 1931 1,853,390 Webber Apr. 12, 1932 2,301,510 Bolen Nov. 10, 1942 

